Cherie Priest -- an author whose stories of contemporary fantasy, horror and steampunk adventures have charmed me in the past -- visits late 19th-century New England for a tale of gothic horror that oozes from the waters off the coast of Fall River, Massachusetts. Fall River, as you might know, is notorious as the home of Lizzie Borden, who in 1892 was tried and acquitted for the grisly axe murders of her father and stepmother.

Maplecroft is named for the home to which she and her older sister, Emma, retreated after Lizzie was cleared (erroneously, some people still believe) of the killings. Apropos of the setting, the novel is dark and moody, increasingly sinister as it develops and, by its dramatic conclusion, downright Lovecraftian.

Cthulhu doesn't rise from the sea at the end but, frankly, you wouldn't be too surprised if he did. (Priest's use of Miskatonic University, a creation of Lovecraft's, as a backdrop for one of her characters proves her intention to go that route.)

The novel employs three historical characters: Lizzie and Emma, who have withdrawn from polite society and keep largely to themselves, and an actress, Nance O'Neil, who in real life had some form of relationship with Lizzie. Here, they are lovers. (Presumably, the actual Lizzie, Emma and Nance did not do any of the things detailed in this book. As a matter of historic record, Lizzie and Nance met much later than 1894, when the story takes place, and Nance's future unfolded rather differently than this book implies.) Otherwise, the story is peopled with various fictitious residents of Fall River, including the helpful Dr. Owen Seabury (obviously a corruption of Dr. Seabury Bowen, who in fact did testify on Lizzie's behalf), as well as a mysterious investigator from Boston and a biology professor who corresponds with Emma, incognito, about certain seaborn specimens.

The tale is told through a series of journal entries (mixed with scenes of action and dialogue neatly incorporated into the journal format) by a rotating cast of characters -- primarily Lizzie, Emma, Nance, Dr. Seabury and Professor Phillip Zollicoffer. Dark experiments are taking place in the Maplecroft basement, and darker things are starting to happen in the Fall River community -- a series of occurrences that started with the deaths of the elder Bordens and is now spreading through the town, and beyond.

Madness appears to be contagious, and death -- sometimes accompanied by strange, shark-like humanoids -- follows at its heels.

Lizzie, by the way, still carries an axe, which she keeps expertly honed and close at hand.

So, did she do it? Did she kill her father and stepmother with a series of whacks that would inspire generations of schoolyard jump-ropers?

According to Priest, she did. But the reasons for the murder are not what you'd expect -- it wasn't, precisely, her parents she killed, and that strikes at the heart of the mystery the Borden sisters are trying to unravel. Their solution to the problem could well save a great many lives.

The book is tense, dark and foreboding. I confess to some feelings of anxiety as I read it, and as the story unfolded I had trouble putting it down. Priest is, as previous experience has proven, an expert when it comes to writing this sort of bleak, atmospheric stuff, and she grasps her readers by the eyeballs and doesn't let go until her story is told. Fortunately, it's time well spent.

Maplecroft stands alone as a complete story, although Priest wrote at least one sequel to the book. I hope to check it out soon.